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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Lately, I have probably finished more children's books than books for adults, and here are three that I don't get tired of reading.Dirt on My Shirt is by Jeff Foxworthy and it is a collection of poems that I think most school age children would enjoy. I read the entire book to several of my groups of students and they seemed to enjoy them. I enjoyed reading them, too, and I think that the neatly done color illustrations make this a book I will use each year for poetry month.

The Rain Came Down by David Shannon is another great book. Yesterday I read it with three different groups of students and many of them said when we finished that they like the story. It does a good job at showing cause and effect, and the pictures really add to the story. At the beginning of the story it begins to rain, which makes the chicken squawk. In turn they cause the cat to yowl, the dog to bark, and soon it is affecting people and the whole town turns into a traffic jam.

The Blue Hill Meadows by Cynthia Rylant is a good for reading aloud to students that are getting introduced to chapter books. There are four chapters, one for each season of the year. It starts in summer, and it tells about Sullivan and Eva Meadows and their boys Willie and Ray. The characters are likable and it is a story that makes me wish everyone had such a good family.

Friday, April 17, 2009

April is National Poetry MonthApril is National Kite MonthApril 12-18 is National Library WeekApril 20-26 is Turn Off the TV WeekApril 22 is Earth DayApril 24 is Arbor DayMost years Easter is in AprilHow can I help but like April?

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

A Tip a Day with Ellie Kay is a book that has lots of money saving tips. It has all the categories that you would find in any book about saving money-coupons, insurance, entertainment, banking, transportation, education, home, clothes, furniture, appliances, and electronics. It has three categories that you don't see in every book about saving money-helping kids learn about saving money, relationships (with your spouse), and making a difference in the world. I would not have thought about some of those things, but Ellie feels like people should not just save money, but find a way to use that to help others. The tips in the book were brief, and if a person picked up this book, it would be easy to find the tips because they are well organized. What is one way that you have chosen to be frugal?